about / publications.

matt payne

photographer, videographer & drone op

Matt is a London-based photographer and videographer specialising in both still and moving image. His practice spans documentary, portraiture, editorial, event, and drone work, encompassing both ground-based and aerial shooting, as well as video production and editing.

His work centres on “capturing the moments between” — the unscripted, natural interactions that reveal people within their environments, their relationships, and their roles within wider communities. He is particularly interested in perception, exploring how subtle shifts in angle or perspective can transform the way a subject or space is understood, especially through aerial viewpoints.

Alongside his photography, Matt creates short-form video pieces that combine visual storytelling with sound and music to evoke atmosphere and emotion. Often working with aerial footage, these films focus on specific locations or sequences of moments, offering an immersive and reflective viewing experience.

Matt has exhibited documentary work on social housing in Hong Kong and presented photography and video from Vietnam at a TEDx event in Vietnam. His work has also explored street art and architectural change in Hackney Wick, alongside exhibitions in East London focusing on local communities and cultural diversity. More recently, his work was featured in Clear Channel’s ‘Arts Month’ as part of the Under-Represented project, displayed on billboards nationwide. His imagery has also been published across a range of national digital and print outlets.

He is a member of Diversify: Up Next, and an affiliate of the East London Art Society. Matt is also a CAA-qualified and insured drone operator and holds an enhanced DBS check.

Images featured for / in:

The Guardian - newspaper (UK)
Evening Standard - newspaper (UK)
The National - newspaper (UK)
Channel 5 News - TV (UK)
Clear Channel - Billboards (UK)
Wieden + Kennedy (US)
Irish Examiner - newspaper (Ireland)
Belfast Telegraph - newspaper (Northern Ireland)
The Canary - online news (UK)
Care4Calais - charity campaign (UK)
SES - commercial campaign (Canada)
RomanRoadLDN - magazine (UK)
Social Streets - website (UK)
Portsdown Home - website (UK)
‘Rankin 2020’ competition finalist (UK)
Music Week - magazine (UK)
The Wick - magazine (UK)
Breathe News - online news (UK)
Pasquale Peppers - commercial (UK)
Hackney Mosaic - book (UK)
The Slice - magazine (UK)
The Institute of Making - event / online (UK)

publications:

Video featured for / in:

Channel 4 - Dispatches - UK
The Green Party - party election broadcast - UK
Care4Calais - charity campaign - UK
Warner Brothers - commercial marketing - UK
Saigoneer - documentary film - Vietnam
Hubertus Jagd - documentary series (Red Bull TV) - Austria
‘Johnny Barnes’ - music video - UK
The Stage EC2 - commercial marketing - UK
Tobacco Dock - commercial marketing - UK

exhibitions:

‘Ted X: Vietnam’ - Ho Chi Minh - 2019
‘3-4: The New Photographers’ - Noirfoto Gallery - Ho Chi Minh - 2019
‘Wicked Changes 1’ - LFA / Felstead Studios - London - 2021
‘Power of Opportunities’ - Felstead Studios - London - 2022
Clear Channel - ‘Arts Month’ - digital billboards nationally - UK - 2022
‘Universal Expressions’ - LFA / The Trampery - London - 2023
‘Honey, What’s Home?’ - The Bath House - London 2024
‘Wicked Changes 4’ - LFA / The Trampery - London - 2024
‘Water Gun’ - The Bath House - London 2024
‘Memories Carried’ - Multiple - London, Paris, Berlin, Birmingham, Newcastle - 2024
‘8 Ball’ - Set Social - London 2025